ABSTRACT

We present and analyse a rare, long-term time series of clear sky observations recorded by Priest Bodí y Congrós, from the town of Carcaxient, in Eastern Spain. These data cover the period of 1837–1879: a time when meteorological observations over the Iberian Peninsula were notoriously scarce. The records were recovered from a surviving partial copy of an original manuscript, as part of the Salvá-Sinobas project, in order to improve the availability of early meteorological data records over Spain. We have contrasted these data with satellite-observations of cloud cover over from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, using the satellite data to investigate the diurnal, seasonal, and long-term properties of cloud cover and clear sky conditions over the Carcaxient area. In particular, we find the seasonal variability of clear sky conditions compares well, indicating the records of Bodí y Congrós were reliable. However, a direct long-term comparison of the records was not possible as the datasets were too dissimilar.